Debunking the Latest Social Media Marketing Myths That Exist Today

Did you know over 4.48 billion people worldwide use social media each day?

It’s not hard to see why so many businesses recognize the incredible marketing potential social media has to offer. However, with the success of social media marketing comes a plethora of information about what works and what doesn’t.

Would you like to know the truth about how to best create innovative marketing for social media? Then continue reading to learn the marketing myths to watch out for.

Myth: You Need to Be on Every Network

Many people think the best social media strategy is creating an account for every social networking site from Facebook to Twitter to Reddit. People believe this is the best way to reach a broad audience of people and push your content as far and wide as you can.

Truth: Less Is More

The truth is, creating social media content for every platform possible isn’t the best use of your time. Different platforms draw different users.

For example, it’s well known at this point Facebook caters to an older demographic than the previous college-aged adults that used to frequent the site.

This is why it’s best to research each platform and only focus on the ones where your target audience spends their time. A social media marketing agency will be able to help you figure this out.

Plus, they can help you create killer content. This will catch the attention of your ideal customer and help grow your social accounts to reach even more people.

Myth: The More Followers, the Better

It makes sense why many people believe the more people you have following you, the more people will see your social media content. So naturally, this leads people to strive for as many followers as possible. Some even purchase followers to make their accounts seem more attractive.

The Truth: Followers Don’t Matter (Much)

Your follower count on social media is not what will make you successful there. What’s truly important is how engaged your followers are.

It’s better to have 1,000 followers who see your posts and interact with them somehow than 10,000 followers who don’t care much about what you post or might not even see them at all.

The more your followers enjoy your content, the more likely they will purchase something from you down the line. Plus, it makes them more likely to share your content with friends or family, which will help you grow.

Try not to focus too much on your follower count and instead focus on how many people see and interact with your posts, or your reach.

Myth: You Should Max Out Hashtag Use

Each social media platform has different features, but most offer you the ability to use hashtags.

Hashtags then act as a search function for people looking to find content related to specific topics. So it makes sense to use as many hashtags as you possibly can so people are more likely to find your content, right? Wrong.

The Truth: Use Hashtags Wisely

If you’ve ever seen a post with more hashtags than anything else, you know it’s not a good look for the brand. In fact, it can distract you from the message and seem more like spam than anything else. 

Instead of cramming in as many hashtags as possible, it’s better to use them wisely. How can you do that? By researching which hashtags would make the most sense to use and carefully considering which hashtags are relevant to the post.

Some posts might not even call for using hashtags at all.

Myth: New Platforms Aren’t Worth It

Earlier, we talked about how it’s not necessary to be on every social media platform out there. Some also don’t think it’s necessary to be on newer social media platforms because most users are on other sites too.

The Truth: New Platforms Are Exploding

Newer platforms like TikTok are taking the social media marketing world by storm. All it takes is one viral video to gain a massive, devoted following. This is why so many businesses, from new small businesses to giant corporations, have accounts on the platform.

Some small businesses with low sales have used TikTok to introduce their products to the world and seen tremendous results. If millions, or even billions, of people, are using a new social media platform, it’s worth checking out.

Myth: You Don’t Need to Interact to Grow

There are many different types of marketing, even within the world of social media marketing. One important one is responding to comments and messages.

The Truth: Authentic Interaction Is Key

Being authentic in your interactions on social media can be a marketing tool of its own. For example, if someone comments on a photo you recently posted stating their shipment is late, many people view this negatively from a marketing perspective.

This can be turned into a positive by how you respond, though. If you promptly comment back and ask for more information, give an update, or apologize, people reading the comments will see this. 

Most will appreciate the honesty and the clear message that you care about your customers.

A potentially frustrated customer now gets to reach someone without dealing with a phone call. And people who haven’t yet purchased something might now decide to because you’ve helped build trust.

Interacting doesn’t always grow your follower count, but it will boost your sales eventually.

Marketing Myths: Don’t Let Them Fool You

When it comes to social media marketing, the marketing myths are never-ending. If you read too much into them, you could find yourself crafting a marketing plan around false information.

Instead of believing the myths, try looking into things on your own or consulting a professional for helpful advice. This article was one step in the right direction to using social media marketing to your advantage!

If you’d like to learn more about digital marketing, please take a look around the rest of our site for more articles like this!